Fox Summit Ends With Bush Demand On Migration Bill

April 1, 2006|By Hugh Dellios Chicago Tribune

CANCUN, Mexico — Delivering more images and messages than concrete results, President Bush wrapped up a two-day summit with his Mexican and Canadian counterparts Friday by demanding that Congress pass a bill converting illegal immigrants into legal temporary workers.

Bush said channeling hundreds of thousands of immigrants into legal crossings is an important part of securing the continent's borders, which was the dominant topic in his meetings with Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

He declined to say whether he would issue a veto if Congress sends him only legislation that would build a border fence and further criminalize illegal immigrants.

"I want a comprehensive bill and I've made that clear to the members of Congress," Bush said at the summit's concluding news conference. "I believe there will be a comprehensive bill."

The three leaders ended the summit with modest announcements: They created a North American Competitiveness Council through which business leaders will consult on competing with China and other rising economies. They agreed to coordinate readiness in case of an avian flu epidemic, promote energy alternatives and assist in the development of Central America.

But over the two days, from the steps of a Mayan pyramid to their final remarks on a converted hotel tennis court, the summit was more about political messages aimed at legislators and voters in each of the leaders' back yards.

Bush's lavish efforts to rekindle his friendly relations with Fox were intended to demonstrate to Congress that Mexico was a friendly nation that would cooperate on border and immigration matters. But he also sounded tough for conservative party colleagues back home who oppose an "amnesty" for immigrants who have broken the law.

"We must enforce our laws," Bush said. "A nation of laws also can be a welcoming nation. I believe it is important to bring people out of the shadows."

While continuing to court Hispanic voters in the United States with his immigrant-friendly words, Bush also was trying to send messages to Mexicans and other Latin Americans who will vote in presidential elections this year that there are benefits in having governments that cooperate and trade with the United States.

Disappointment with free-trade policies and the Bush administration's perceived neglect of Latin America have aided a resurgence of the political left across the region, including in Mexico, where the leading presidential candidate is left-wing former Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

"This was great for Fox, and for Felipe Calderon," the presidential candidate for Fox's conservative National Action Party, said Ana Maria Salazar, a Mexican political columnist. "This was like a big kiss."

Fox ended the summit by citing the measures his government has taken to crack down on crime and secure the U.S. border. He said federal police have maintained a presence along the border and that authorities have detained 240,000 Central Americans bound illegally for the United States. He said his government is preparing to extradite 24 drug lords to the United States.

But he reiterated his government's refusal to stop Mexicans from illegally crossing the border, a policy that has drawn fierce criticism. "We can't infringe upon the right of people to move freely within our territory," Fox said.